Exposition:
Bible teaches that a man cannot give what he does not have (… any Bible verse to confirm this statement?). We can only give what we possess. When Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life,” He meant that he possesses and can give both resurrection and life. He was claiming to be the source of both. He carefully and strategically set out to demonstrate this fact. Contextually, Jesus made this claim to Martha when she painfully avowed that his brother, Lazarus wouldn’t have died should Jesus had been there earlier. Jesus then followed this confession of Martha with his 5th claim of “I am”. He again demonstrated his claim when He rose Lazarus from the death. Doing this, Jesus showed that He possesses life. However, this claim was at its peak when Jesus himself resurrected from the dead. By His resurrection, He meant that He is not only able to raise others but also can lay down his life and claim it back.
There is no resurrection apart from Christ, and there is no eternal life apart from Christ. Beyond that, Jesus was also making a statement concerning His divine nature. He does more than give life; He is life, and therefore death has no ultimate power over Him. Jesus confers this spiritual life on those who believe in Him, so that they share His triumph over death (1 Jn. 5:11 – 12). Believers in Jesus Christ will experience resurrection because, having the life Jesus gives, it is impossible for death to defeat them (1 Cor. 15:53 – 57)
Jesus’ statement that He is the resurrection and the life provides a godly perspective on several spiritual matters. Martha believed that the resurrection is an event; Jesus showed her (and us) that the resurrection is a Person. Martha’s knowledge of eternal life was an abstract idea; Jesus proved that knowledge of eternal life is a personal relationship. Martha thought victory over death was a future expectation; Jesus corrects her showing that victory is present reality.
After presenting Himself as the resurrection and the life, Jesus asks Martha an all-important question: “Do you believe this?” (John 11:26). May Martha’s answer be ours as well: “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God who was to come into the world”. Jesus still offers life to all who believe in him. Come to Jesus for life.